Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 300 This matter is easy to handle

Cao Yang treated Lü Yi to a meal, and the matter of "Lust, Caution" made him seem a little preoccupied.

In his previous life, he was just a small-time director who barely made ends meet, without even the opportunity to direct a film independently.

Regarding certain people and events in the industry, one can only complain behind their back, lamenting that no one steps forward to take care of them. Like most people, one feels powerless to change anything.

Today, he is a world-class director whose influence among active directors is almost unparalleled, backed by the strong support of the Beijing Film Academy and a close, interdependent relationship with China Film Group.

He can ignore the petty squabbles in the film and television industry, but he can't control these kinds of things anyway; many relationships are just too complicated to untangle.

But what about those traitorous acts that distort the values ​​of the Chinese people in order to cater to the Western value system?

Cao Yang found a line in Spider-Man very interesting: "With great power comes great responsibility."

It's not that having the ability means you have to be responsible; rather, being responsible is a way to protect yourself and the industry. Only when the industry prospers and develops well will you become a beneficiary.

For example, if the domestic film and television industry were to collapse, directors who hold the highest positions of influence and status in China would suffer the greatest losses.

Therefore, there are some things that, within our capabilities, should definitely be done.

Lu Yi could tell that Cao Yang was preoccupied, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. What a great opportunity, what a pity.

She didn't know the specific reason, but she could roughly guess that it might be a problem caused by the movie "Lust, Caution".

Since Cao Yang didn't say anything, she didn't press him for details. She could only keep the matter to herself and decided to look up some relevant information when she got back to see if she could help Director Cao.

She was a smart girl; she knew that whatever she did at this point might offend Cao Yang. Their relationship hadn't reached that stage yet, so...

What a shame.

After finishing her meal, she didn't linger with Cao Yang; instead, she decisively said goodbye to him.

After settling the house matter in Shanghai, Cao Yang rushed back to Beijing.

These past two days he's been thinking about the "Lust, Caution" project. To be honest, it's not as easy as it seems on the surface. The key issue is Li An's identity.

If there are no major events, all that's needed is to have the script reviewed and approved. Cao Yang could even speak out and say he's not satisfied with the ending of "Lust, Caution," and then someone would know what to do.

However, these are special times, and the top priority is to focus on preparing for the Olympics and gaining more support from the international community, rather than giving others cause for criticism domestically.

And Li An is a director with international influence. If his script is rejected, it will have a great international impact. It is conceivable that Western media will not let such an opportunity pass.

This would put us in a very passive position, and we might lose even more national interests as a result.

Damn, speculators are really awesome, they know how to pick their timing.

I heard that Cao Yang has returned to Beijing, and President Han came to the Beijing Film Academy in person.

He looked up some relevant information over the past few days and couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed.

It turns out that Li An is going to adapt this novel, which was full of controversy when it was first published.

The novel "Lust, Caution" is controversial not only in mainland China, but also in Taiwan. After all, the male protagonist is a high-ranking official in the Wang Jingwei regime, supported by the Wang Jingwei regime, and is an enemy of Chiang Kai-shek and his faction.

"Junior brother, I've looked into what you're talking about. I'm not just trying to brush you off, but this matter is a bit difficult."

"I'm sorry," Han said with a wry smile, and then he handed the document to Cao Yang, presenting a compilation of information he had found about the film "Lust, Caution."

"If this kind of novel were to be made into a movie based on the original work, it would be an insult to us older generation filmmakers."

Then, he smiled wryly again and said, "But it just so happens to be Li An. He is an internationally renowned director with a huge influence overseas. Now is a crucial moment for the Olympics, and it's not easy to get the approvals blocked."

Cao Yang nodded, and as he flipped through the documents Lao Han had brought, he said:
"Li An has another characteristic: he is very good at starting from a feminine perspective and can capture delicate emotions. Therefore, this movie will only make more people sympathize with the female lead, and its influence will only be greater."

"Who says it isn't?"

Old Han was a little frustrated. He lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, then made up his mind, stubbed it out, and said, "How about this, I'll go talk to him directly and make him change the ending. If he doesn't listen..."

He slammed his hand on the table and stood up, his reckless spirit rising. "He won't listen. I'll make sure he can't find a distributor even if he makes a good film. Damn it, I don't believe it. I'll make it public, and who will dare to distribute his movies?"

"and then?"

Cao Yang asked a question, then laughed and answered himself: "Then you'll be disciplined, most likely early retirement. Who will give you face then? Once you're gone, there will be plenty of distributors willing to release their movies."

"I..." Old Han opened his mouth. Cao Yang's words were rough but reasonable. If he dared to do that, he would probably be "retired early".

The saying "when people leave, the tea cools" isn't just a saying; it's a real phenomenon.

Of course, Lao Han wasn't stupid. Although there was an element of "performing" in front of Cao Yang when he said that, he also knew that he was doing this for the "public good."

Even if they did that, and even if they were eventually dismissed, once the storm had passed and the Olympics were over, there was a high chance that the authorities would compensate them in other ways.

Cao Yang was flipping through the documents when he suddenly paused, a thought flashing through his mind. He asked, "Senior brother, what's the deal with this 'Wanwan Era' company?"

Old Han glanced at the documents and explained:
"Li An's copyright was obtained from Pai Hsien-yung of Taiwan, the executor of Zhang Ailing's will. Taiwan Era Company, on the other hand, claims that they had already obtained the copyright from another executor, Song Yilang."

In the early years, Wanwan Era Company even took Song Yilang to court because of this matter.

The reason was that Wanwan Era Company believed Song Yilang had deceived them, arguing that Song Yilang did not fully own the copyright to "Lust, Caution." They claimed full ownership of the copyright and filed a claim for damages, but ultimately Wanwan Era Company lost the case.

Old Han's words reminded Cao Yang of a news story he had once seen.

The first large-scale release of "Lust, Caution" was in Taiwan. At the time, some people in Taiwan tried to stop it, citing copyright disputes as the reason.

This caused "Lust, Caution" to be unable to be released at one point.

"Senior, do you think we could buy the copyright from Wanwan Era Company?"

Old Han paused for a moment, then asked with some doubt, "Does Wanwan Era Company still hold the copyright? Didn't they lose the case?"

Cao Yang laughed. It's not like the light is always dim. I guess Lao Han and Li An both think that Wanwan Era Company lost the case and no longer has the copyright to "Lust, Caution".

“That company is only claiming damages and wanting full copyright. Losing the case doesn’t affect the copyrights they’ve already acquired. They definitely still have the copyrights.”

After thinking for a moment, Cao Yang shook his head and said:

"Now they know that the copyright held by Pai Hsien-yung has been bought by Li An, but they have not made a fuss or mentioned that they still have the copyright. They want to wait for the movie to be made so that they can exchange it for greater benefits."

"If we wanted to buy their copyrights, it would definitely cost an exorbitant price."

Old Han thought for a moment, then laughed and patted Cao Yang on the shoulder, saying:
"Junior brother, there are some other factors involved, which are a bit complicated to explain, but don't worry, the price is definitely very low."

Simply put, the Era Group aligns with the pan-blue camp, endorses the 1992 Consensus, and opposes the pan-green camp and Taiwan independence, which gives them considerable room for maneuver.

Cao Yang's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "Senior brother, do you mean they're willing to sell the copyright?"

"Haha, I can handle this. We don't need to buy out all the copyrights they have. We just need to co-own them. This way, we can help them share the burden in the future. They need us."

Old Han said with a smile.

Taiwan is currently in power with the pro-independence camp in power, and the Kuomintang's Era Group may not be able to withstand the pressure, so it needs external allies.

Cao Yang is certainly not as good at these political matters as Lao Han, but since Lao Han said he would handle it, he must be confident.

Since that's the case, Cao Yang decided to put the matter aside for the time being.

Old Han stopped talking about it and changed the subject, saying, "Congratulations, junior brother. It won't be long before you break the domestic box office record again. We should celebrate properly then."

Cao Yang's heart skipped a beat. Inception had been in theaters for over ten days, and he hadn't been paying attention to the box office while he was in Shanghai.

"Have the box office statistics for the past few days been released?"

"That's right, that's why I came here to talk to you about this."

Old Han sighed, saying that before the year before last, people in the film industry and the upper echelons were somewhat disillusioned with the domestic box office record.

Zhang Yimou's "Hero" was released for about ninety days, which is about the same as "The Big Ship," but its box office was still far behind "The Big Ship." "The Big Ship's" box office record was like a mountain pressing down on its head.

Who would have thought that Cao Yang's "District 9" broke the record held by Da Chuan last year, and now this "Inception" will not only continue the record, but may even raise it even higher.

Don't say this is a Hollywood movie. Both District 9 and Inception are co-productions, and the directors are native-born Chinese. Such movies certainly cannot be classified as foreign blockbusters.

"Inception has grossed over 2.6 million yuan in just ten days. Given its current popularity, it should easily reach 4 million yuan within a month. If it's extended slightly, 5 million yuan is not impossible!"

Old Han's words were forceful and resounding. This isn't about box office numbers; it's about his own political achievements!
This is a momentous event that will be etched in the history of Chinese cinema!
(End of this chapter)